Planets Don't Just Disappear, But They Can Wobble Out of Sight if Their Neighbour is Close Enough

NASA's TESS mission found a hot Jupiter, TOI-2535b, that appeared to disappear from view, which astronomers believe is due to dynamical interactions with another exoplanet. The planet's transits, which are normally observed when its orbit aligns with our line of sight, have slowly changed over several years, suggesting a tilt in its orbit. This is the first confirmed case of a single-star system where a hot Jupiter's transits have disappeared, likely due to another exoplanet influencing its orbit. The research suggests that the planet's orbit is tilting so quickly that its transit became invisible to observers.

• "TOI-2535b is about 1,000 light years away."
• "The system has the largest TDVs and inclination change ever observed for a planet orbiting a single star."
• "The companion to TOI-2535b is likely a second short-period giant planet."

This discovery highlights the complexity of planetary systems and how interactions between planets can lead to unexpected changes in their orbits. The study shows that even though the planet is orbiting a single star, its orbit can tilt significantly, making its transits appear or disappear. The findings challenge previous assumptions about how planets orbit and interact, suggesting that planetary systems can be more dynamic and unpredictable than previously thought.

AI-generated summary of the original article — see the source for the full story.